Connecting device for roof support frames

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVED CONNECTING DEVICE BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF A PAIR OF UPRIGHT SUPPORT FRAMES AND INTERMEDIATE SLIDING DEVICES, RESPECTIVELY, IN WHICH TWO PAIRS OF DOUBLE SWIVEL ARMS CONNECT AT THEIR OUTER ENDS TO THE SUPPORT FRAMES AND SLIDING DEVIES RESPECTIVELY, AND AT THEIR INNER ENDS TO A COMMON PIVOT ON THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF A FISHTAIL PLATE. A STOP ON ONE OF EACH PAIR OF ARMS LIMITS ROCKING MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION BY CONTACT WITH THE FISHTAIL PLATE AND ROCKING MOVEMENT OF EACH OF SUCH ARMS IN THE OPPISITE DIRECTION IS RESISTED BY A STOP MEMBER, WHICH IS CONNECTED TO THE STOP MEMBER OF THE OTHER PAIR BY A TENSION SPRING.

Feb. 16, 1971 K. GREBE CONNECTING DEVICE FOR ROOF SUPPORT 'FRAMES Filed Aug. 5, 1969 a N .a wzm i E x 2 2.: v I

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on mm m A Tn MP2 NH F2 a R R RM 2 E N mm INVENTOR a E B I u a C n m g L L 0 L e a t 2 ATTORNEY United States Patent CONNECTING DEVICE FOR ROOF SUPPORT FRAMES Konrad Grebe, Kaiser Wilhelm Allee, 56 Wuppertal-Elbert'eld, Germany Filed Aug. 5, 1969, Ser. No. 847,584 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 8, 1968, P 17 58 794.9 Int. Cl. E21d /44 11.8. Cl. 61--45 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved connecting device between the upper and lower ends of a pair of upright support frames and intermediate sliding devices, respectively, in which two pairs of double swivel arms connect at their outer ends to the support frames and sliding devices respectively, and at their inner ends to a common pivot on the respective ends of a fishtail plate. A stop on one of each pair of arms limits rocking movement in one direction by contact with the fishtail plate and rocking movement of each of such arms in the opposite direction is resisted by a stop member, which is connected to the stop member of the other pair by a tension spring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a roof support assembly made of two support frames combined with one another, which are connected in mutual guidance at the floor of the seam and/ or at the roof of the seam by means of a device having two parts slidable relative to one another, whereby two members consisting each of two swivel arms opening in scissors manner in a vertical plane connect each support frame with the part of the sliding device correlated with it. The swivel arms produce the connection between the support frames and the sliding device which enables the same to accommodate itself to the irregularities of the floor and the roof of the seam. Heretofore the swivel arm units were connected by a tension spring, but the structure and arrangement were such that in operation the proper altitude was not maintained with respect to the sliding parts to which such arm units were connected. A further disadvantage existed when the support frames were advanced to the effect that deviation resulted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an improvement in the connection between the swivel arms with the object of preventing undesired mutual fiuctuations of the parts connected with one another by means of these arms, and of keeping these parts in the same position as to altitude.

The invention proposes further that the bearing bolts of the freely movable couplings be connected with one another by means of a cover plate or fishplate, the bolts extending through longitudinally elongate holes of such plate, whereby each double swivel arm of the two pairs, correlated to the respective frame rail, is provided with a stop member engageable with the fishplate for limiting its movement in the direction of the roof of the seam (or floor of the seam), and is provided on its opposite side with an attachment arm, the two attachment arms being connected by a tension spring arranged parallel to the fishplate.

The elongate holes in the cover plate serve the purpose of enabling the opening and closing movements of the scissors to the desired extent. The stop members which take effect on the cover plate prevent the cover plate from lying in the range of the rails or above or below the rails as the case may be. In any case, one end of the sliding "ice device may rise in this space it simultaneously its other end is correspondingly lowered, and vice versa. The tension spring engages the scissor members arranged in the range of the roof rails below or above the fishplate as the case may be. The spring takes effect through a lever arm, whose length corresponds to the distance of the tension spring from the cover plate or fishplate, so that less forces are necessary in order to hold the scissors or shears in their closed position and work against a lowering of the sliding device.

An additional limitation to the opening movements of the shears is possible in that each double swivel arm on the side facing the other double swivel arm of the same pair has a dovetail or T-shaped arcuate groove, whose center point forms the axis of the freely movable bearing or coupling. The groove is engaged by a slide of corresponding profile, provided at both its ends with a stop member limiting the opening of the scissors. This slide has additionally the advantage that it opposes lateral bending of the double swivel arms, which might affect the parallel advance of the support frames.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE There is incorporated in this application by reference applicants US. Pat. 3,438,209, dated Apr. 15, 1969, showing and describing the roof support assembly involving a pair of spaced upright frames, which are connected to each other at their top and bottom regions by telescoping sliding members and pairs of scissor arms joined together by coiled tension springs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation in closed position of the scissor arms, fishplate and tension assembly which provides the connection between the upper end of each support frame and the intermediate sliding members, as shown on FIG. 23 of applicants said Pat. 3,438,209;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but with the scissor arms in open position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The double swivel arms 1, 2 or 3, 4, respectively, are connected in the region of the roof rails of the correlated support frames (not shown), by means of the pivots 12 or 14, respectively, and to the correlated part of the sliding device (not shown), by pivots 11 or 13. Hinge pins 15 or 15', respectively, connect the arms with one another. The pins 15 and 15' are guided in longitudinally elongate holes 25 and 25' in the cover plate or fishplate 5, which provides the connection therebetween. In the position according to FIG. 1, they are pushed against the inner ends, but in the position according to FIG. 2, they are pushed against the outer ends of these elongate holes.

The swivel arms 1 and 3 are provided in the support frame in the region of the roof of the seam with a stop member 6 or 6', respectively, which overlap the cover plate or fishplate 5. If the plate 5 drops (FIG. 2), then its ends are spaced from the stop members 6, 6'. Beyond the position shown in FIG. 1, the fishplate, however, cannot rise, and this is prevented by the stop members 6, 6' in cooperation, on the one hand, with the ends of the fishplate 5, and on the other hand, with the hinge pins 15, 15', which are guided in the elongate holes of the fishplate 5 and held in the bores of the swivel arms 1, 3.

In the support frame on the side facing the floor of the seam, the swivel arms 1 and 3 respectively have fixed stop arms or attachments 7, 7, which are arranged beneath the fishplate 5. The pins 17 and 17' have the tension spring 8 connected at its ends thereto, and the spring urges the double swivel arms to the position shown in FIG. 1. The double swivel arms arranged in the region of the base rails of the support frame are provided on their lower sides with the stop members 6, 6' and on their upper sides with the stop arms 7, 7..

The swivel arms 1 and 2 have arc-shaped grooves 31 and 31', and 32 and 32, respectively, whereby the axis of the hinge pin 15 forms the center point of this arc. The swivel arms 3 and 4 have arc-shaped grooves 33, 33 and 34, 34', respectively, whereby the axis of the hinge pin 15' forms the center point of this arc. In the grooves 31, 31 32, 32' is guided a slide 30 and in the grooves 33, 33', 34, 34 a slide 30' is mounted. This slide prevents by means of its T-shaped projections, which engage in the mentioned grooves, the swivel arms 1, 2 or 3, 4, respectively, from bending apart in direction of the arrows designated in FIG. 3. By means of the flanges 35, 36 or 35', 36', respectively, fixed to the ends of the slides, the shears of the double swivel arms 1, 2 or 3, 4, respectively, are prevented from opening in the direction of the arrows shown on FIG. 2 beyond the position shown on that figure.

What I claim is:

1. In a roof support assembly having a pair of relatively moveable frames each of which comprises a floor rail and a roof rail joined by vertical props, a guide member in the form of two slidable parts interposed between the floor rails of the two frames, and a device for rockably connecting one slidable part to one floor rail and the other slidable part to the other floor rail, the improvement in which each connecting device comprises an elongate fishplate, two double swivel arms for each end of said fishplate, each pair of arms having a common pivot, the pivot hole for same in said fishplate being longitudinally elongate, a stop element on one arm of each pair for abutting engagement with said fishplate for limiting the rocking movement thereof in one direction, a stop arm fixed to said one arm of each pair, and a tension spring connecting the free ends of said stop arms and arranged generally parallel to said fishplate for resisting rocking movement in the opposite direction.

2. The organization as claimed in claim 1, comprising arcuate T-shaped guides in the facing inner faces of each pair of swivel arms, the axis of such are being the pivotal axis of the swivel arms, a slide engaging said guides and of corresponding profile, and a stop element at each end of said slide limiting the opening movement of said swivel arms.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,397,544 8/1968 Golla et al. 61-45 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,454,178 11/1965 France 61-45 DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner 

